Timer for electrically-operated devices



1,634 083 June v E. A. RUTENBER TIMER FOR ELECTRICALLY OPERATED DEVICES Filed April 24, 1924 INVENTOR Patented June 28, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN A. RUTENIBER, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO A. J. LINDEMANN 86 HOVERSON COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- oonsnv.

TIMER FOR ELECTRICALLY-OPERATED DEVICES.

Application filed April 24, 1924. Serial No. 708,740.

The improvements relate to mechanism for timing the operation of electrical devices, and are designed to provide a simple, dependable and easily operated timing device which may be employed to control the beginning, duration and interruption of the operation thereof.

In theillustrative embodiment shown and described herein the-timer operates to close and break an electric circuit arranged to enone dial automatic means for starting the operation at a predetermined'time, continuing the operation for a given and variable period, and discontinuing such operation at the expiration of such period, and also for manuall controlling these operations. Other 0 jects are the construction and arrangement of the parts of the device in such a manner'that they can be easily understood and operated by persons of ordinary intelligence who have no knowledge of the construction or operation of the mechanism, and without danger of injury to the mechanism or the production of undesirable results in the devices controlled thereby. Other objects and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from the drawings and the following description.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of the d1al and setting means movable thereon, by which the operation of the timer is automatically and manually controlled; Fig. 2 is a front view of the mechanism controlled by. the said means, with the cover and automatic controlling devices removed; i

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the entire device taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direc-.

tion indicated by the arrows in that figure,

I the clock movement being indicated in elevation; Fig. 4 is an enlar ed detail of certain of the parts shown in ig. 2.

The casing of the instrument is composed of two sections 1 and 2 secured together and to the walls of a heating or cooking device 3, 3 by means of screw bolts 4. A fixed index 5 is secured to the outer section 2 of the casing at the proper point to indicate the numbers on the dial and also the home position of the pointers for setting the timing mechanism.

The dial plate 6 is mounted for rotation on the front of the cover section 2 by means of an annular flange 6", surrounding its central aperture and having 9. turned inner edge 6 extending beyond the edges of the central opening of said cover section. It is held in frictional contact with the cover by spring clips 7 secured to the underside of the cover and bearing against the turned edge 6*, so that it will not move accidentally. It

may be provided with a milled or burred outer flanged edge at 6, to facilitate rotation by hand. This dial has no operative connection with any other part.

A hollow shaft 8 is mounted in the easing and extends through the inner diaphragm 9 thereof, and to this the spring 10 and friction clutch and disk 11 are keyed. A clutch disk 12 fixed on the post 13 connects the spring with the clock movement 14 for operation, and a compression spring 15 with adjusting screw 16 maintain and regulate the frictlonal contact of the clutch disks 11 and 12. The screw is threaded into the post 13 and the spring is confined between its head and the interior shoulder 17 of the hollow shaft 8. When the spring is wound or unwound by the collar 18 the resistance of the clock movement causes the clutch to slip, thus temporarily breaking the connection between the said movement and the spring.

The outer end of the hollow shaft 8 is split, and receives the pin 20 extending through the collar 18, so that the shaft may be rotated in either direction by the said collar, which is securely held thereon by the screw 21. A second collar 19 is positioned on the shaft 8 inside the collar 18 and rotates freely on said shaft. The collar 19 has an insulating fibre rimmed disk or ring 23 fixed thereon, and the shaft 8 has a similar disk 24 secured thereto and therefore adapted. to be moved by a collar 18, and these disks have notches 23 and 24; respectively, tov receive v ately caused to spring back spring held dogs 25 and 26 respectively carried by the arms 27 and 28 for the purpose of closing and breaking an electric circuit passing through the said arms and to heating or actuating devices energized thereby. Binding posts 45 for the attachment of electric wires are connected with the said arms mounted on the block 31, which in turn is fixed to the diaphragm 9, and an aperture 9 in the said diaphragm and hollow plug 46 extending through the wall of the case section 1 provide for the extension of said wires to the exterior.

The arm 27 has a contact 29 at its extremity, and the arm 28 has a similar contact 30 opposed thereto, so that when the ends of the arms approach each other an electrical circuit will be closed through these contacts. Both arms are made of spring metal, and are so mounted at their opposite ends on the block 31 that they are normally separated at their outer ends, and have a tendency to separate when liberated. The

dogs 25 and 26 consist of angular pieces of metal pivoted at their angles by pins 33 and 34 respectively to the respective arms 27 and 28,, with one leg of the angle normally flat against the underside of its arm in each case, and the other projecting downwardly. A spring 35 is wound on each pivot pin and normally has one end pressed against the downwardly extending leg of the angular dog so as to hold the horizontal leg pressing against the arm. This spring however permits the dog to rock on its pivot so that it can slip out of its notch and permit the fibre disk to rotate, being immediinto the notch when the said notch is brought into align ment therewith. This dog also prevents the rotation of the disks in counter clockwise direction, which would not be in accordance with the proper plan of operation: therefore. when the disks are rotated in clockwise direction the dogs 25 and 26 are raised, and are held in raised position until one or both of the notches is again brought into alignment therewith. When however the disk 23 which is the starting diskis turned back after being moved clockwise away from the dog, and the dog snaps into the notch 23, the spring arm 27 will descend and bring the contact point 29 into contact with the point 30, thus closing the circuit and energizing theelectrically operated heating devices, and this contact will be maintained until the second disk has traveled back and its notch or recess brought under the dog 26, when the arm 28 will spring down and break the circuit, thus stopping the operation of the electrical devices.

Provision for manual operation of the starting and stopping devices is made by a lever 36 pivoted at 37 and having pivotally mounted thereon an oscillating block 38 held in normal position by the spring 39 secured at 40 on the said lever, and held in position to press against the block by a pin 41. \Vhcn the lever 36 is raised the fibre block 42 thereon presses against the outer end of the spring arm 2b and raises it until the contact points are brought together, then raises both spring arms until the dogs are above their respective recesses. The lever may then be released, and will be held in elevated position by the pin 43 on the disk 24, over which the swinging block 3 slips when the lever 36 is raised. The contact devices are thus raised above the disks, and brought together to close the circuit, and held in this position until manually released. Their release is accomplished by a sl ght clockwise movement of the disk 24through the collar 18-, which withdraws the pin 43 from under the block and permits the parts hell up thereby to fall to their original positions.

The collar 19 is mounted to rotate on the shaft 8 and has a tubular extension 19 surrounding a portion of the said shaft, on the inner end of which the ring or disk 23 is fixed, and within which the compression spring 44 is confined. This spring abuts against the inner side of the said collar at one end and against the hub 24, bearing the fibre disk or ring 24, at the other. Its object is to maintain pressure between the collars 18 and 19, and this pressure causes the two collars to rotate as one, when actuated by the spring 10 through the clock move ment 14, but permits them to be rotated independently by hand to set them for any desired interval between the starting and stopping time. To this end the collar 18 has a beveled recess 13" and the collar 1!) has a conical portion 19 fitting therein. Collar 18 has a pointer 19, and collar 19 a similar pointer 1!) with a post 19* thereon which provides a linger hold for moving the two pointers simultaneously.

The stop 47 engaging the pin 48 prevents the over rotation of the two collars. This stop also provides a recess for the lever 36.

In operation the dial 6 is set so that the time of day is opposite the index 5, and the start and stop pointers are then turned clockwise to indicate the hour at which the oven or other device is to start and stop. Thus if the hour of the day is 12 oclock, and it is desired to start the operation at 3 oclock and to stop at 5, the dial will be set with 12 opposite the index 5, (see Fig. 1), and thestart pointer 19 will be turned to 3 and the stop pointer 18 to 5. This turning of the stop pointer with its collar winds the spring 10 to a sufiicient extent to actuate the clock movement for five hours, or more, or until the stop pointer has been moved back to 12. If the hour of the day is 2 oclock, and it is desired to start frictional engagement'of theparts 18 and 19 and the connection between the collar 19 and the spring lO-being through the clock movement and the clutch 11, 12, and when the start pointer reaches a position opposite index 5 the dog 25 will snap into the recess of the disk 23 thus permitting the spring arm 27 to drop until the contacts 29 and 30 engage, and the electrical circuit is closed.

This also checks the rotation of. the disk 19, but does not check the rotation of the disk 18, because its frictional engagement is overcome by the clock movement. The collar 18 therefore continues to rotate for two hours more, or until its pointer has also arrived at the index' 5, when the dog 26 will snap into the recess of the disk 24 and permit the arm 28 to drop and break'the circuit.

I claim.

- l. The combination with a clock movement and a main spring for actuating the same, of a clutch connecting said movement and spring, a winding device connected with the spring for winding and unwinding the same, electric terminals arranged tobe moved into and out of contact to close and break an electric circuit, an operative connection between said spring winding means and one of said terminals whereby movement of the former will operate the latter, a second device for operating an electric terminal, and a connectlon between the same and the winding device whereby the two may bemoved in unison-by the spring under the control of the clock movement, said last named connection permitting independent movement of the two connected members.

2. The combination with a clock movement and amain spring for actuating the same, of a clutch connecting said movement and spring, a winding device connected with the spring for'winding and unwinding the same, electric terminals arranged to be moved into and out of contact to close and break an electric circuit, an operative connection between said spring; winding means and one of said terminals whereby movement of the-former will operate the latter, a lever mounted to have movement independent of the winding means for operating a contact to close the said circuit, means for retainin the same in circuit closing position an means for releasing the said lever through movement of the winding device.

, 8. In a deviceof the character described,

a dial having markings thereon indicating difference of time, said dial being mounted to be rotated, an index. adjacent to the dial for indicating the markings thereon, an arm mounted to, have rotary movement with respect to said dial having a portion indicatting the markings thereon, means for making and breaking, an electriccircuit, time controlled means for rotating the said arm including a spring and winding means positively connected therewith, connections between said arm and said making and breaking means, whereby upon the arrival 'of said arm at a predetermined point on the dial the said means is caused to close the circuit, a second arm mounted in similar manner to the first arm, connections between it and the making and breaking means and time controlled means for rotating it with respect to the dial, the construction and arrangement of said connections being such that on the arrival of said arm at a predetermined point on the dial the said circuit making and breaking means is caused to break the circuit, said means for rotating said arms being a common means.

4. In the mechanism specified in claim 3,

a connection between the said arms whereby movement of one arm may be communicated to the other, said arms having independent movement.

5. In combination with the mechanism specified in claim 1, a dial having markings thereon indicating the extent of the movement of the said winding device.

6. In combination with the mechanism' specified in claim 1, a dial having markings thereon to indicate the movement of the winding device, said dial being movable, and an indicator for indicating the degree of movement, of said dial by the markings thereon.

7. In combination with the mechanism specified in claim 1, a dial having markings thereon indicating the extent of the movement of the said winding device.

8. In combination with the mechanism specified in claim 1, a dial having markings thereon to indicate the movement of the I winding device, said dial being movable, and an indicator for indicating the degree of movement of said dial by the markings thereon.

9. The combination of a winding shaft, a spring connected therewith to be wound thereby, a clock movement, a clutch connecting sald spring and movement, and permitting independent movement of the former under abnormal stress, an electric circuit closing and breaking device connected with said winding shaft and arranged to be operated thereby, and a member operative to close the said circuit connected with said shaft but movable independently thereof to said circuit closing position, and means for detaining it in such position, a stop on said member and a member fixed to the shaft in the path of said stop.

10. In the mechanism specified in claim 9, the said circuit breaking means connected with the shaft being arranged to operate when the said member on the shaft comes in contact with the Stop.

11. In a device of the character described, the combination of a spring, a clock movement, a frictional connection between them permitting independent movement of the spring, means for winding the spring, means tor indicating the degree of said winding, an electrical circuit closing and breaking device, means for operating the same to break the circuit connected with said winding means and operable when the same moves to unwound position, a device connected with said winding means but movable independently thereof, a connection between said device and said circuit closing and breaking device whereby the said circuit is closed when the said device is brought to home position, the construction and arrangement being such that the winding device may be moved to unwound position after the said device movably connected therewith has been brought to home position, whereby the circuit may be closed by the latter after a given interval of time and broken by the former after the lapse of an interval of time thereafter.

12. In combination with the mechanism specified in claim 11, the circuit closing and breaking device comprising conductor arms having electrical contacts thereon and a spring held dog on one of the said arms adapted to engage a recess carried by the winding device to permit circuit breaking movement of the arm.

13. In combination with the mechanism specified in claim 11, a hand operated device for closing and breaking the circuit independently ot' the other means.

II. In combination with the mechanism specified in claim 11, a manual circuit closing and breaking device comprising an arm, a movable detent thereon, a spring holding said detent in normal position and a stop on another part over which said detent moves when the arm is operated, and means connected with one of the other devices for operating the circuit closing and breaking means for moving the said stop from the path of said detent.

IVitness my hand this 21st day of April, 1924, at the city of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin.

EDIVIN A. RUTENBER. 

